In a statement Friday, former Maryland Gov. Martin O’Malley defended sanctuary cities in the aftermath of the death of Kate Steinle, who was murdered in San Francisco by an illegal immigrant who was deported five times previously.
“It’s lamentable that the senseless and tragic act of violence that occurred in San Francisco is prompting a rush to judgment and finger pointing: we can and should do better,” O’Malley said in the statement.
“Local governments should not be blamed for the Federal Government’s inability to fix our broken immigration system nor should they be held responsible for doing the Federal Government’s job,” he added.
O’Malley, who’s currently one of the five Democrats seeking the 2016 party nomination, also released the statement in Spanish:
Es lamentable que la tragedia que ocurrió en San Francisco, un acto de violencia sin sentido, esta provocando a algunos a buscar chivos expiatorios: podemos y debemos actuar de una manera mas responsable. Los gobiernos locales no tienen la culpa de que el Gobierno Federal no ha logrado arreglar nuestro sistema migratorio, ni tienen la responsabilidad de hacer el trabajo del Gobierno Federal.
O’Malley’s stance contrasts with that of former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who told CNN Tuesday that the city of San Francisco “made a mistake” in not deporting Francisco Sanchez, who fatally shot Steinle last week.